Columbus Coffee franchisees enjoy the support of a team that’s fanatical about getting it right

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In recent years, more and more customers and franchisees have been attracted to Columbus Coffee, and Sarah Primrose thinks she knows why. ‘We are addicted to perfection,’ smiles Sarah, who is Menu Development Manager for the franchise. ‘We are a genuine Kiwi born-and-bred brand and have developed values, systems, training and support to help everyone live up to this philosophy.’

It’s an approach that runs throughout Columbus Coffee, as one of its founding directors, David Burton, explains.

‘The quality of our coffee is hugely important to us,’ says David. ‘We have very stringent parameters around all aspects of handling our beans from purchase to roasting, storage to café delivery, to ensure our coffee is in peak condition every step of the way. For example, we did an experiment by roasting 90 kilos of coffee and then bagging it in 45 bags. Every day for 45 days we’d taste each bag and analyse the results until we had a chart which showed exactly when the coffee was at its best. Then we worked back through the delivery cycle to ensure we could get it to our cafés in the best condition for them to use at the optimum time. It means our franchisees are always working with the perfect beans at the perfect time.’

Once the beans are in store, delivering the perfect cup of coffee is down to the skill of the barista – which is where Pavel Zhuravlyov, the Group Barista Trainer for Columbus, comes in. ‘I am passionate about coffee,’ he says, ‘and I’ve been working with it for seven years. I originally trained in one of the best cafés in Australia where a very strict head barista pushed me hard. I thank him for that because it made me very good at my trade and I got my passion for training others from him.’

Today, Pavel visits Columbus stores regularly to assist baristas in their extensive pursuit of perfection. ‘In addition to our one-on-one training, we use software to track the progress of each individual. We carry out theory and practical assessments, and challenge them to enter our annual Columbus Barista Championships. This is a real incentive: the competition is judged to international standards, promotes healthy internal competition between Columbus staff and offers cash prizes. This year’s winner also made it to the semi-finals of the NZ Barista Championship.’

Columbus Coffee has carried its addiction to perfection into its food, too. Sarah Primrose has spearheaded the brand’s transformation of its menu over recent years to meet the demands of a modern, quality and health conscious market. ‘People these days are as likely to want a paleo salad as a sausage roll, but they like to have the option,’ she explains. With our in-store kitchens, Columbus franchisees can deliver both in a fresh and healthy way.’

Sarah’s CV makes her ideal for the role. A qualified chef, she has worked in a variety of high-end restaurants and hotels and represented NZ in a number of culinary competitions. She joined Columbus to tackle the challenge of delivering popular, healthy and profitable menus across a national franchise.

A key initiative to keep evolving with changing customer needs has been to launch the Lifestyle Favourites range. ‘This menu innovation includes refined sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, raw and vegan options, all of which still allow people to enjoy tasty, flavoursome food. We’ve launched new products and revised existing ones to make them healthier, and this has encouraged our customers to visit more often.

‘At the same time as launching new menus throughout the network, we also encourage franchisees to develop their own recipes to suit local tastes. Coupled with our digital rewards programme, our food is attracting more customers, more often, to franchisees’ cafés nationwide. As people are discovering, we pride ourselves on our coffee but we take our food just as seriously.’

Columbus Coffee is continuing to expand, with new cafés opening in both high street and Mitre 10 MEGA locations around the country. ‘The investment required varies between $280,000 and $380,000 for high street sites, while cafés in Mitre 10 MEGA can be funded for $220,000 or less depending on the model,’ says Columbus Coffee general manager Peter Webster. ‘It’s a sizeable investment, but the rewards can be considerable. You don’t need hospitality experience so, if you have good people and management skills, give me a call.’

And co-founder David Burton has a word of reassurance for those who have always dreamed of owning their own business but have never been in hospitality. ‘We have a great team here to guide and support you every step of the way. If you share our addiction, contact us today.’

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 25 Issue 1

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